What? That doesn’t sound appetizing?
What about Walnut Oatmeal Date Balls?
I guess there’s really no way to make a recipe with the word “balls” in it sound incredibly appealing, huh?
The good news is that despite the odd name of the balls, they really are delicious.
Plus, they only require three ingredients and are super simple to make!
I got the idea for the date balls after talking with the Caramel Natural vendor at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Expo yesterday. Their display included tons of dates and we got to talking about how dates are used in so many different health bars on the market today.
I figured I could make my own health bar at home and set out to do so this morning. I grabbed a handful of dates and scrounged around in my parents’ pantry looking for nuts to throw into the mix. After grabbing raw walnuts and old fashioned oats, I put everything in the food processor and whirred it up until I had a thick batter that wasn’t too sticky.
Since I figured molding the batter into bars would be a pain and a little tedious, I simply formed it into about 12 different date balls like Katie did in her German chocolate fudge bites!
Pin It
Walnut Oatmeal Date Balls
(Inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie’s German Chocolate Fudge Bites)
Makes a dozen balls
Ingredients:
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until everything is blended together and a thick batter forms
- Roll batter into balls and refrigerate until ready to eat
My mom and I both ate a couple and packed the rest of the balls away in the fridge for easy snacking throughout the week.
A simple, nutritious snack that is packed with healthy fat, protein and whole grains. A winner in my book!
I haven’t used my processor in so long! I need to blow the dust off and get it whirring! These looks so easy and delicious! I might have to add some chocolate though…(;
Haley
I love easy yet healthy ideas and recipes like this. Totally understand that you didn’t want to make them into actual bars. It’s easier to eat them if they’re shaped like a ball and bite-size anyways….the perfect snack!
Antonia @ healthinspirations
haha exactly!
peanutbutterfingers
i love that these include oats! as much as i low raw food bars i feel like the inclusion of oats makes them a little more filling.
Sharan {College Girl Eats}
I love anything with dates! Dates and nuts are such a great combo. I like the idea of adding oats!
Kerry @ Totes My Oats
These sound super yummy! Funny- I just made chocolate covered katie’s AMAZING fudge babies for the umpteenth time. And yours seem to be exactly like hers minus the chocolate.
if y’all have never tried her recipe you should!
Sarah
I was just about to say the very same thing! I love Katie’s fudge babies and they save my wallet and my hangry-ness mid day at work!
Diana
I was just going to mention chocolate covered katie! She has like 10 varieties of these on her blog you should all check them out!
Sara
i love her blog but never made her fudge babies! i’ll check ‘em out!
peanutbutterfingers
And balls are obviously more fun to write about than bars, haha. Sweet healthy and easy recipe!
Jennifer
Love that these only require 3 ingredients!
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake
I’ve been seeing these pop up all over the blog world! I love that it’s just a few ingredients, I start to get intimidated by recipes with a lot more!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
these look delicious!
whenever i make something that is ball-shaped i never have any idea what to call them… except for balls. it doesn’t matter what they’re called if they taste good, right?
Julianna @ Julianna Bananna
Those look good Julie! I have some other “winner” news! I did the Napa Valley 5k today, but I’m more proud of my bf, who came in second place in the full napa marathon today, with a time of 2:25! I’m super proud of him!
Raquel @ toned, tan, fit & techie
WOOHOO for you! I never even ran a mile. BUMMER.
Sarah
ahhh! that’s awesome! congrats to you BOTH!
peanutbutterfingers
Those look like the perfect snack to bring to work! Convenient and healthy! Thanks for sharing!
Alyssa @ fit and fun in third
I had something similar using raisins, almonds and oats a few weeks back. I love traveling with them, so easy to store and eat while on the go.
Alexa
These look delicious! I had never thought to use walnuts before. Though I have made something similar with peanuts.
Annie
YUMM. I love bite-sized snacks! Thank for the recipe
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife
Love making things when I’m at my parents house (which is all the time this year). They always have all the right ingredients on hand
Michelle (Better with Berries)
You should add a Pin It button to this post! Would love to add to my Pinterest board to reference back to
Samantha
great idea! just added it.
peanutbutterfingers
These look awesome! I’ll have to try them out in the blender….I need a food processor!
Kim
Yum.. I’d love to give these a try! Except with pecans, since I don’t have any walnuts!
Mindy – Clueless Nutrition
I love eating balls!!
stephanie
peanutbutterfingers
who doesn’t? haha
Amy
PINNING! love these…i’m out to get some dates now!
Heather (Heather’s Dish)
Hey Julie, do you think you could add sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts? They look amazing!!!!!
Laura
i think that you could!! definitely worth a try!
peanutbutterfingers
Totally, a friend of mine makes them pumpkin and sunflower seeds (chopped up quite finely) and adds all sorts of bits and pieces, like chia seeds (that would get your approval Julie!), chopped nuts, any kind of dried fruit etc….
Debbie
Do they taste at all like Luna bars? I’m not a fan of Luna bars and I think they’re made with dates aren’t they? Just curious if I’d like these!
Caroline @ After Dinner Dance
a little bit… i’d probably steer you away from them b/c they did remind me of them a bit.
peanutbutterfingers
Are you thinking of Lara bars? Most Lara bars are made with dates but I don’t know any any Luna bars that are.
Elizabeth
Yes, you’re right! I’m thinking of Lara Bars. I don’t mind Luna Bars. Maybe I’m just not a fan of dates :/
Caroline @ After Dinner Dance
ha! i totally thought you meant lara bars!! whoops. at least we were on the same page!
peanutbutterfingers
This is probably super immature, but any food with the word ‘balls’ in the name makes me LOL…like that age-old skit with Alec Baldwin. All of that aside, this recipe sounds really tasty!
Erica
Aaaannd now reading the other comments, I’m not the only one who thinks so, phew!
Erica
yummmm those look awesome! i really want to say i love balls (and i do) but that would sound really…haha ya. but seriously, i like them. im tryin these!
Amy
These look just delish! I love dates so these would make the perfect afternoon snack at work – I’d kill for a couple of these right now
Christie
I love dates! Those look great
Dena @ 40 Fit in the Mitt
Those are so cute! and I love that there are only a few ingredients! Hope your weekend is great
Natasha
I have never made my “balls” with walnuts or oats before. The consistency looks great! I will have to give these a shot! Thanks, Julie.
Melanie
That’s basically a recipe for making home made Larabar’s… you can google for tons of recipes for the various kinds of Larabars but it’s basically dates (can add some other dried fruit like raisins), and some kind of nuts. Delish!
MJ
so adorable and I am sure, delicious. I will be making these for sure. I am sucker for easy recipes that yield big taste. Thanks!
Sarah
Hahaha yeah no way around the “balls” name but they look delish. I made bars with similar ingredients but used dried plums as the base, not dates. The bars were a pain in the butt, just as you thought they had the potential to be so maybe I’ll make “balls” next time I try them out.
Jenn
Oh yum, Julie they look so good… and so easy to make! You definitely had me at the first photo. Definitely bookmarking. And thanks for the mention. You’re such a sweetheart! I hope you already knew that
Chocolate-Covered Katie
These look so good, and so nutritious. Definitely making them. I live in the Middle East and we can readily get hold of fabulous date ingredients, ie date paste, date juice, all manner of fresh and dried dates. I’m going to try using the date paste that I have in my pantry.
Jay
Making these today!! Might even add some cocounut to a few just because coconut makes everything better. Can’t wait to try them!
sherri
Yum! I love anything with dates! I always make date balls and date bars for easy snacks. Here are two of my favorites !
cranberry coconut date balls: http://gabbysgfree.com/2011/12/vegan-cranberry-coconut-energy-truffles/
Chocolate cranberry date bars: http://gabbysgfree.com/2012/01/vegan-chocolate-cranberry-date-bars/
Gabby @ Gabby’s Gluten-Free
YUM!!!
peanutbutterfingers
mm delicious! i need to get a food processor!!
kerry
Thank you for making those! They’re in my lunch today! I love them. I just might make those every week
. Better than arsenic bars, right? 
leslie
I always prefer the bar shape to the ball, but either way they taste great! I’ll have to try this version. To make bars I usually squish all of the batter into a dish and then cut out a bar shape when I want some. Way faster for me than to shape into individual shapes of anything.
Amber K
I made these balls this weekend (added a couple more dates and some honey to get it the right consistency for me) and they were a huge hit in my house! My boyfriend and I are big runners, and this is perfect for a quick pre/post run snack. It also gave me the excuse to FINALLY use the food processor I got for Christmas
Thanks for the idea!
Rachel G
I have made these a few times now and my family and I love them!! Thanks so much, great idea!! When I made them this last time I added raisins and cinnamon. After the ingredients were done mixing in the food processor I stirred in the raisins and cinnamon then rolled into balls. Tasted just like an oatmeal raisin cookie!! So good! I love it the original way too!! Thanks again!!
Staci
Followed this recipe and the batter didn’t really stick enough to form balls. so I tried to press it into a pan to form bars but they did not hold together even after time in the fridge. Will probably add more dates the next time around.
Daphne